Yellowstone National Park

America’s first National Park is an all-natural park for photographers, outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes and for those who simply appreciate the beauty and solitude of the American West.

Scattered across its 3,500 square miles are geysers, hot springs and geothermal features that have made Yellowstone world famous. Its diverse ecosystem sustains healthy populations of bison, elk, bighorn sheep, antelope, deer, bears, coyotes and wolves. Towering trees, wildflower meadows, rushing rivers and roaring waterfalls offer some of North America’s most stunning scenery.

Make Gardiner, the Northern Gateway to Yellowstone, your adventure base camp any time of year. It’s a short hop to many of Yellowstone’s iconic attractions.

Soak in the Boiling River, just 2.5 miles from Gardiner. (Don’t worry. The water doesn’t actually boil.) It’s nature’s hot tub, where a large hot spring surfaces and flows into the Gardner River. Hot water and cold water mix to a comfortable bathing temperature.

Witness an eruption of Old Faithful, the famed geyser. Twenty times a day, Old Faithful sends a plume of hot water and steam 140 feet into the air. It erupts 20 times a day. It’s just an hour and a half from Gardiner. En route, you can stop to see the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Hot Springs and Midway Geyser Basin.

Get in touch with your wild side in the Lamar Valley, 28 miles southeast of Gardiner. You can go hiking, camping, backpacking or fishing. Looking for something different? How about llama trekking or horseback riding.

Take a drive over scenic Dunraven Pass to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where iconic Yellowstone Falls plunges 308 feet, twice the tumble of Niagara Falls.